Ill Flemenstar set to miss Cheltenham

Star Irish chaser Flemenstar seems set to bypass a trip to Cheltenham after he was found to be suffering from a lung infection.

Flemenstar was a gallant second to Sir Des Champs in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown, a performance which suggested he did actually stay three miles. Despite plugging on well all the way to the line, Flemenstar did not travel or jump in the usual manner and jockey Andrew Lynch suggested after the race that there may be a problem.

Mixed messages came out of the Peter Casey camp in the evening after the race, but a thorough assessment by the trainer's vet on Monday unearthed a lung infection.

Flemenstar will be placed on the easy list for a few weeks, which is likely to scupper any plans connections had of making it to the Cheltenham Festival next month.

"He'll be out for two to three weeks," Casey told Press Association Sport. "It's a bad lung infection. The vets found he had it today.

"He's going to be all right in the long term, but I would say Cheltenham is very unlikely now.

"The jockey thought something was wrong on Saturday and it looks like he was right.